FBI director: US at crossroads on race relations, policing

[webfact]

FBI director: US at crossroads on race relations, policing
ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is at a crossroads on matters of race relations and law enforcement, presenting "hard truths" that its citizens and police must confront, FBI Director James Comey said Thursday.

Comey used a speech at Georgetown University to offer his most expansive take on a debate that has roiled in the country in recent months about police use of force and interactions with minority communities.

The deaths at the hands of white police officers of Michael Brown in Missouri and Eric Garner in New York, as well as the more recent slayings of two New York police officers, have raised difficult issues on both sides of the debate, he said.

One is that police officers who work in neighborhoods where most street crime is committed by young black men may hold unconscious biases and be tempted to take what he called a "mental shortcut" in dealing with suspicious situations.

"The two young black men on one side of the street look like so many others the officer has locked up," Comey said. "Two young white men on the other side of the street — even in the same clothes — do not. The officer does not make the same sinister association about the two white guys, whether that officer is white or black."

But another truth is that minorities in poor neighborhoods too often inherit a "legacy of crime and prison," a cycle he said must be broken to improve race relations with police.

Comey joined Attorney General Eric Holder in calling for better data about how often police use force. Such information is needed to make sound policy decisions, Comey said.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-13

[CaptHaddock]

This was a great speech by a head of the US FBI. A long way from J. Edgar. Glad I lived to see the day.

[arjunadawn]

Are there white people prejudiced to blacks? Yup. In fact, there will likely always be so. However, more has been done in the US to level the playing field with regard to discrimination in the public forum than most other countries. Indeed, the impetus was so vast and affirmative action so widespread that the majority whites actually began to be assaulted in public discourse with white guilt for things never done. Indeed, the wrongs of the ancient past hang over americans today like a corruption of blood. None today have ever owned a slave and many blacks today, never came from slave backgrounds. So, American has made great strides toward a colorblind society, and more can be done.

However, playing the "race card" and balkanizing the US makes for great identity politics by always reinforcing division, despair, and victimization. Thus you actually have a great majority of black people wholly despising whites yet the same standard does not apply. How has this happened? Because the black militant theology of the past generation have inculcated into the discourse that by virtue of being a minority and not actually wielding the levers of state, they are inherently incapable of racism, no matter how much it looks like it is.

"... at a cross roads..." Poppycock! They are fomenting division.

Thus, America has two divisions where being a victim affords greater benefits, and it is akin to political hostage taking- holding others guilt for crimes they never committed, and being forced to accept that they are guilt of having "white privilege." These are the evil seeds that so often have seen minorities, once gaining power, actually slaughtering others. Obama and Holder and his race baiting tribe of Saul Alinsky sycophants work tirelessly to convince black America that they are a victim. In some cases it is true, but the majority of crime toward blacks in the US is from blacks. In fact, no matter how you slice the data, the majority of crime proportional to numbers is astronomical in the black community. But Obama et al fuels a wholly different perspective.

America had all the tools in this past decade or two to continue moving forward toward a color blind society, or as much as possible. With quotas and affirmative action having run its course of remedy something else needed to be created to sustain the notion of a victim status. The courts have pretty much decided affirmative action has survived long enough to correct the imbalance of the years as it sought to do. Under Obama and Holder more racial division has shaped America than since the 1960s. I despise the politics of tribes and division; it is the lowest intellectual common ground to work on. But in this victim-soil all people grow into victims- of government!

[Publicus]

It is very good for the country to have an FBI director who is attuned to issues that are central to the society and to each individual citizen.

FBI Director James Comey speaks to the national public. He speaks in the interest of the nation. Director Comey has the baseline data that are real, factual and which support his statements.

Director Comey does not present the rhetoric of despair, divisiveness or victimization. He makes no false or bogus claims of a post-racial society or of a color blind society.

The USA is a multi racial society of many ethnic groups, national origins, religions, sexual orientation and other vital demographics. There are always tensions in such settings and Director Comey is doing very well to address them in an approach that is impartial, balanced, low key and level headed.

Good on him and on the FBI.

Percent Searched, Handcuffed, and Arrested Even though the same percentage of Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics were stopped by police (9%), African Americans were:

• three times more likely to to be searched (person or vehicle) than Whites
• more than three times more likely to be handcuffed
• almost three times more likely to be arrested.

[ggt]

The US, as many other countries, have had to reevaluate their policies concerning policing in minority neighborhood for years...it is a complicated process...evolving over time...as these neighborhood have high unemployment...high drug usage...high illegal firearm possession...and high crime rates...

What needs to change is the culture of abuse of suspects by the police...and the culture of COPS are inherently evil and can not be trusted by the minorities...

The process is on-going and eternal...

[copa8]

It is very good for the country to have an FBI director who is attuned to issues that are central to the society and to each individual citizen.

FBI Director James Comey speaks to the national public. He speaks in the interest of the nation. Director Comey has the baseline data that are real, factual and which support his statements.

Director Comey does not present the rhetoric of despair, divisiveness or victimization. He makes no false or bogus claims of a post-racial society or of a color blind society.

The USA is a multi racial society of many ethnic groups, national origins, religions, sexual orientation and other vital demographics. There are always tensions in such settings and Director Comey is doing very well to address them in an approach that is impartial, balanced, low key and level headed.

Good on him and on the FBI.

Percent Searched, Handcuffed, and Arrested Even though the same percentage of Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics were stopped by police (9%), African Americans were:

• three times more likely to to be searched (person or vehicle) than Whites
• more than three times more likely to be handcuffed
• almost three times more likely to be arrested.

Doesn't help that blacks commit the most felonies relative to their population size. Contrast that with Asian-Americans.

[Publicus]

Asian Americans weren't slaves and Asian Americans weren't from Africa, among other factors and considerations. Asian Americans have suffered certain discrimination in the US but nothing like the African Americans have for 400 years in one form or way or yet another. Asian Americans, irish Americans, Italian Americans etc have no such experience as the African Americans have.

The election and reelection of Barack Obama shows we are more ready than ever to face racial realities in the US. The United States is not color blind, it is not post-racial, it has never been color blind, never foreseeably will the United States be color blind.

The best we can do is to face up to differences in color, ethnicity and other vital demographics and to work to resolve them in the best ways possible, beginning first with each citizen. It is the mark of civilization to do this and more besides.

FBI Director Comey contributes greatly in these respects. Director Comey was deputy Attorney General in the Justice Department of the G.W. Bush administration. He's a Republican and he's about one of the ten Republicans in the US who believes as he does believe, which is to say in enlightened ways concerning these issues.

[BudRight]

What are these BOTH sides he's talking about? One side that it's wrong for the police to murder people and the other side that it's okay?

[Publicus]

Fortunately the Dark Side was unable to pull me in (or over) while I was briefly passing through. Never go there without a return ticket guarantee.

FBI Director James Comey comes from a line of police officers in the family and he is dedicated to the Constitution. He spoke of the strange legacy of his Irish ethnicity by referring directly to the "Paddy Wagon."

Director Comey is an enlightened man who looks positively to the future, which is the fundamental American value. While he doesn't have all the answers -- or enough answers -- Director Comey is working to make America a safer and better place...to build upon a great society.

James Comey was called on by the president to do this job, to run the FBI, and the director is doing it in new and innovative ways that address the current developments in law enforcement and community relations. Almost everyone feels this is a pressing priority so it is good to see the government moving towards finding some resolution of the issues.

[Scott]

An off-topic, inflammatory post has been removed.

[NeverSure]

Fortunately the Dark Side was unable to pull me in (or over) while I was briefly passing through. Never go there without a return ticket guarantee.

FBI Director James Comey comes from a line of police officers in the family and he is dedicated to the Constitution. He spoke of the strange legacy of his Irish ethnicity by referring directly to the "Paddy Wagon."

Director Comey is an enlightened man who looks positively to the future, which is the fundamental American value. While he doesn't have all the answers -- or enough answers -- Director Comey is working to make America a safer and better place...to build upon a great society.

James Comey was called on by the president to do this job, to run the FBI, and the director is doing it in new and innovative ways that address the current developments in law enforcement and community relations. Almost everyone feels this is a pressing priority so it is good to see the government moving towards finding some resolution of the issues.

What celebratory adulation shown to a conservative Republican. I never thought I'd see the day. (You forgot to bow down.)

[Publicus]

Fortunately the Dark Side was unable to pull me in (or over) while I was briefly passing through. Never go there without a return ticket guarantee.

FBI Director James Comey comes from a line of police officers in the family and he is dedicated to the Constitution. He spoke of the strange legacy of his Irish ethnicity by referring directly to the "Paddy Wagon."

Director Comey is an enlightened man who looks positively to the future, which is the fundamental American value. While he doesn't have all the answers -- or enough answers -- Director Comey is working to make America a safer and better place...to build upon a great society.

James Comey was called on by the president to do this job, to run the FBI, and the director is doing it in new and innovative ways that address the current developments in law enforcement and community relations. Almost everyone feels this is a pressing priority so it is good to see the government moving towards finding some resolution of the issues.

What celebratory adulation shown to a conservative Republican. I never thought I'd see the day. (You forgot to bow down.)

As you'd know a previous post identified some highlights of James Comey's Republican political party history, which had been pretty stellar until he accepted the invitation of Prez Obama to serve again in the Justice Department, this time as FBI director.

Director Comey had served in the DoJ during the G.W. Bush administration, deputy AG.

The prez chose a professional to do a professional job and that is what is occurring. Solutions are vital but it is also crucial as to how everyone goes about finding solutions as best as everyone can to deal with the current issues of police and local community relations in certain areas of the nation's cities.

[CaptHaddock]

Comey raises the number of Republicans I admire up to an all-time high of one.